When will CMS teachers see bigger checks now that Gov. Josh Stein signed budget?

Public school educators should expect to see new state raises in their next paycheck – but they’ll have to wait for a planned one-time bonus.

Gov. Josh Stein signed a new $34 billion budget into law Tuesday. Lawmakers in the state General Assembly passed the state’s new budget agreement Thursday after failing to push one through in 2025. That meant state employees, including teachers, were paid according to the budget passed in 2023 and received no raises during the 2025-26 school year.

North Carolinians expect their elected officials to work through their differences to “deliver for people,” Stein said in a Tuesday news release.

“This budget delivers the largest starting teacher pay raise in nearly 50 years and overall teacher pay raise in fifteen years, fully funds Medicaid for the year and provides historic salary increases to public safety officers who sacrifice to keep our communities and prisons safe,” Stein said.

The new budget is retroactive to July 1, so teachers and other state employees can expect to see the raises reflected in their next pay checks, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction told The Charlotte Observer.

Some teachers opt to split their salary over 12 months instead of 10, while others are only paid for the 10 months of the school year. In either case, raises will be in place for the next check teachers receive.

However, the budget does not include back pay for the year North Carolina employees went without a salary increase. Instead, it includes one-time bonuses for state workers.

Teachers with 16 or more years of experience will get $1,000 bonuses, while teachers with fewer will get $500. Public school custodial and nutrition staff will get bonuses of $1,750.

Educators and other state employees should expect those bonuses in mid- to late-October, according to the budget.

What’s in the budget

Teachers are set to get an average raise of 8% over two years, but that is heavily weighted toward early career teachers. Beginning teachers are looking at a state salary increase of around 17% during that time. Current base pay for beginning teachers is $41,000. The new base would be $48,000.

Meanwhile, teachers in their 15th year in the profession and beyond are looking at about a 5.5% increase. For example, teachers with more than 25 years of experience would have a base pay of $59,000 a year under the new budget, up from $55,950 this year.

The state is also investing an additional $32 million in expanding its Advanced Teaching Roles program, which allows districts to give additional state pay to highly effective teachers that take on additional responsibilities, such as teaching more students or coaching other staff. Teachers in the program can earn up to an additional $20,000 on top of their state salary.

Noncertified employees – staff like bus drivers, cafeteria workers and teaching assistants – will get a 3% raise.

The pay raises for early-career teachers will bring North Carolina’s beginning teacher pay to first in the Southeast.

But some veteran educators said the plan leaves them behind.

“The legislature says it’s historic because it’s never given average 8% raises …but it’s never been a year late with a budget either,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher Mark Cook told The Observer. “It’s not about making an excessive amount. It’s about making a fair amount.”

The CMS board issued a statement Tuesday saying the new budget is a positive step for North Carolina but calling for long-term, sustained investment in public education.

“This budget recognizes the importance of North Carolina’s educators. But, recognition and adequate compensation are not the same,” said Board Chair Stephanie Sneed. “North Carolina’s teachers and school employees deserve compensation that reflects the value of the work they do every day, keeps pace with the cost of living and helps them remain in the communities they serve.”